Central Highlands (Tasmania)

{{About|the Tasmanian region|the bioregion|Tasmanian Central Highlands|the local government authority|Central Highlands Council}}

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = region

| name = Central Highlands

| state = tas

| image = Wc Piguenit - Mount Olympus, Lake St Clair, Tasmania, the source of the Derwent - Google Art Project.jpg

| caption = Mount Olympus depicted by W. C. Piguenit in 1875.

| pop = 2,141{{cite web |title=Central Highlands (M), 2016 Census QuickStats |url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA61010 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) |access-date=13 October 2021}}

| est =

| area =

| lga = Central Highlands

| lga2 =

| lga3 =

| lga4 =

| stategov = Lyons

| fedgov = Lyons

| logo =

| url =

| near-n = Northern Tasmania

| near-ne = North East Tasmania

| near-e = Midlands

| near-se = East Coast Tasmania

| near-s = Southern Tasmania

| near-sw = South West Tasmania

| near-w = West Coast Tasmania

| near-nw = North West Tasmania

}}

The Central Highlands is a region in Tasmania, Australia where geographical and administrative boundaries closely coincide. It is also known as The Lake Country of Tasmania.Royal Society of Tasmania conducted a symposium at Poatina, 11–12 November 1972 with the symposium of that title: Banks, M. R., ed. (1973). The Lake Country of Tasmania. Hobart: Royal Society of Tasmania - with the Keynote Address by Dr. A.B. Costin "Characteristics and Use of Australian High Country" - map one p.2 being of interest as it shows relative distribution of Alpine (6000 ft in imperial measurement) and Sub Alpine regions in south-east Australia

Geographical region

File:Pine Lake, Central Highlands, Tasmania.jpg]]

File:Great Lake, Tasmania.jpg]]

The mountains of Central Tasmania are mainly found in four different conservation reserves:

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park - in the western part
Walls of Jerusalem National Park - in the central part
Central Plateau Conservation Area in the eastern part

Administrative region

The Central Highlands Council incorporates most of the highland region.

Former Hydro communities

Early power developments by Hydro Tasmania in the Central Highlands included the communities of workers who were employed in construction. Significant numbers of the communities were migrants to Australia{{Citation | author1=Quirk, Marilyn | author2=Arts Tasmania | author3=Hydro Tasmania | title=Echoes on the mountain : remarkable migrant stories from the hydro villages of the Tasmanian central highlands | publication-date=2006 | publisher=Marilyn Quirk | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/20443736 | access-date=26 November 2014 }}

The Tarraleah community was one established in 1934 which was a significant early community for the Upper Derwent Power Development. The part of Tarraleah known as Ticklebelly Flat - the area of the married quarters of the community - has become a part of Hydro history, being utilised in the most comprehensive history of the Hydro to date, Heather Fenton's book Ticklebelly Tales.{{Citation | author1=Felton, Heather | author2=Hydro Tasmania | title=Ticklebelly tales and other stories from the people of the Hydro | publication-date=2008 | publisher=Hydro Tasmania | isbn=978-0-646-47724-4 }}

Fishing

The Central Highlands of Tasmania are home to famous trout fishing lakes and boasts some of the best trout fly fishing found anywhere in the world. The location played host to the 2019 World Fly Fishing Championships. The Central Highlands are on the bucket list for many fly fisherman with popular locations including Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Woods Lake and Pinestock Lagoon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.trouttalestasmania.com.au/blog/trout-fishing-near-central-highlands|title=Trout Fishing Near Central Highlands Tasmania|website=Trout Tales Tasmania}}

Tasmania heartland

The combined councils of the Central Highlands and the two Midlands councils - the southern and the northern have had for almost a decade a web based portal which combines the areas to a name of Tasmanian heartland.{{cite web|url=http://www.tasmaniacentral.tas.gov.au|publisher=Midlands Initiatives for Local Enterprise Inc.|date=2002|title=Gateway to online information on all aspects of life, including local government, in Tasmania's heartland|work=A joint initiative of the Northern Midlands, the Southern Midlands, and the Central Highlands Councils|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090518195323/http://www.tasmaniacentral.tas.gov.au/|archive-date=18 May 2009}} The Central Highlands Council has been organising the annual Bushfest which includes various outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, hunting and adventure sports.{{Cite web|url=https://centralhighlands.tas.gov.au/bushfest/|title=HIGHLANDS BUSHFEST – BOTHWELL RECREATION GROUND|website=Central Highlands Council}} The event started in 2014 and witnesses a gathering of nearly 4000 people every year.{{Cite news|url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5047261/tasmania-to-showcase-outdoors-at-highlands-bushfest-2017/|title=Tasmania to showcase outdoors at Highlands Bushfest|date=11 November 2017|work=The Examiner}}

Lakes

Many lakes are found in the Central Highlands - giving the region the tourist feature of the 'Lakes Region'; they include:

Arthurs Lake
Bradys Lake
Bronte Lagoon
Great Lake
Lagoon of Islands
Lake Augusta
Lake Binney
Lake Crescent
Lake Echo
Lake King William
Lake Sorell
Little Pine Lagoon